Fiber handling and cleaning device

ABSTRACT

A MIXTURE OF TEXTILE FIBERS, DIRT, ETC. IS DROPPED INTO A CLEANING CONVEYOR WHICH COMPRISES A HELICAL FLIGHT MOUNTED ON A SHAFT AND POSITIONED OVER A PERFORATE BOTTOM. BRUSHES ON THE FLIGHT CONTACT THE PERFORATE BOTTOM. AT THE END OF THE CLEANING CONVEYOR THE CLEANED FIBERS ARE PICKED UP BY VACUUM. BELOW THE PERFORATE BOTTOM IS A SECOND SCREW CONVEYOR MOVING THE MATERIAL THAT GOES THROUGH THE SCREEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THIS MATERIAL IS PICKED UP AT THE FAR END OF THE SECOND CONVEYOR BY A VACUUM WHICH ALSO SERVES THE PURPOSE OF APPLYING A SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BELOW THE PERFORATE BOTTOM.

United States Patent Lynn M. Christianson 44 Hawthorne Road, Barrington,lll. 60010 871,659

Nov. 4, I969 June 28, I971 Continuation'ol application Ser. No. 743,818,July I0, 1968. now abandoned.

FIBER HANDLING AND CLEANING DEVICE I3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

1m. 01 B07b 1/42 Field of Search 209/22, 23. 2629, 241, 247,257, 283.3l8, 321. 390, 262; 198/213. 216; 55/273 Inventor Appl. No. FiledPatented 1 CONTAIN/R Fun.

i wwuun --1 9 738,l66 9/1903 Davidson. H 209/283 1,690,529 li/l928Carter 209/283 l.778,088 l0/l930 Pate 209/283X 1,989.75! 2/1935 Hagler..l98/2l3X 3,373,545 3/1968 Christianson 55/273 Primary Examiner- Frank W.Lutter Assistant Examiner-Ralph J. Hill Allorney-Darbo, Robertson andVanderburgh ABSTRACT: A mixture of textile fibers, dirt, dust, etc. isdropped into a cleaning conveyor which comprises a helical flightmounted on a shaft and positioned over a perforate bottom. Brushes onthe flight contact the perforate bottom. At the end ofthe cleaningconveyor the cleaned fibers are picked up by vacuum. Below the perforatebottom is a second screw conveyor moving the material that goes throughthe screen in the opposite direction. This material is picked up at thefar end of the second conveyor by a vacuum which also serves the purposeof applying a subatmospheric pressure below the perforate bottom.

FIBER HANDLING AND CLEANING DEVICE This is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 743,318, filed July 10, I968, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Textile mills and the like use vacuum linesto pick up textile fibers that are disengaged during the processingoperations and, in effect, are a refuse to be disposed of. Under thecircumstances these vacuum lines also pick up a substantial amount ofdust, dirt and other similar small debris which is mixed with thetextile fibers. In the conventional practices this mixture has beenregarded merely as a waste to be disposed of. The present invention isdirected to providing an apparatus which will separate the'textilefibers from the dust, dirt, etc. with a high degree of efficiency and atrelatively low cost. After such an efficient separation the textilefibers have a very substantial value since they can be then reused tosubstantially the same extent as though they were original fibers. Thiswill provide a very significant monetary saving, or income, to a textileplant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a highlyefficient and comparatively inexpensive apparatus for salvaging textilefibers from a mixture of the textile fibers with dust, dirt and othercontaminates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an-elevational view, withportions broken away, of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section as viewed at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section as viewed at line 3-3 of FIG. 2',

FIG. 4 is a section as viewed at line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the right end of the apparatus of FIG.I. 1'

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT Although the following disclosureoffered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aidunderstanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of apatent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matterhow others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions orfurther improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as thechief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirementof pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which theinventive concepts are found.

The present invention receives a mixture of textile fibers andcontaminates from a series of bag filters 10. Actually there are eightof these bag cleaners, four of them being behind the four that areillustrated. Communicating with the bottom of each cleaner is a chute11. At the bottom ofeach chute is a gate 12 operated by an air cylinder13. Periodically each of the cleaners in sequence are taken off streamand the gate opened, as illustrated at 12, so as to discharge the debrisfrom the interior of the bag cleaner into the cleaning apparatus of thepresent invention. The apparatus thus far described is illustrated anddescribed in greater detail in US. Pat. No. 3,373,545, issued Mar. 19,1968, entitled Dust Collecting System, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

The embodiment of the cleaning apparatus herein disclosed comprises aframe generally 15 which includes a sheet metal housing 16. Portions,such as that illustrated at 17, are removable to provide access to theinterior of the housing for maintenance purposes. At opposite ends ofthe housing are mounting plates 18 and 19, suitably mounted in guides(not shown) for vertical movement. Adjusting screws 20 are provided tofix the vertical position of the mounting plates on the frame. Thesemounting plates carry bearings 21.

Journaled in bearings 21 is a shaft 23 forming a part of a screwconveyor having a helical flight 24. Through a series of belts andpulleys, generally 25, forming a speed reducer, shaft 23 is operativelyconnected to an electric motor 26 to be driven thereby. The direction ofrotation of this screw conveyor is such that it tends to drive materialfrom the left to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. Affixed to shaft 23 area plurality of paddles 27. These paddles are positioned radially of theshaft and have opposed faces which are parallel to the axis of theshaft. At the periphery of flight 24 a plurality of tabs 28 are bent sothat they extend approximately parallel to the axis of shaft 23. Brushes29 are affixed to tabs 28.

Within housing 16 there is a trough formed by a pair of opposed sideguides 31 and a bottom screen 32. Screen 32 has the configuration ofabout half of a cylinder. For most applications a screen having openingsof a maximum dimension (normally the diameter) of five thirty-seconds ofan inch is employed. In any event the opening should be no smaller thanone-eighth of an inch an no larger than one-fourth of an inch to salvagetextile fibers in accordance with the present invention. At thedischarge end of the conveyor (the right end in FIG. 1) approximatelyhalf of the screen 32 is omitted to define a discharge opening 33. Herethere is a fiber receiving platform 34 which, on the end, is bounded bythe housing 16 and on the other side by a wall 35. There is a back wall36 which joins the remaining portion of screen 32. This space aboveplatform 34 is open at the exterior as seen at 41. Communicating withthe space just above platform 34 is the intake 37, FIG. 5, of a blower38 serving as a pneumatic conveyor. The blower has a discharge 39 whichleads to a point at which the clean fibers are collected. A large doublepaddle 40 insures that the fibers are pushed from the conveyor ontoplatform 34.

In the lower part of the housing is a second screw conveyor comprising ashaft 43 and a flight 44. Shaft 43 is suitably journaled in bearings 45.This conveyor is in a trough 46 which is closed, except for the presenceof the openings in screen 32. The pulley and belt connection, generally47, is provided between shafts 23 and 43 so as to drive shaft 43. Therotation of shaft 43 is such, in relation to the configuration of theflight 44, that the debris in trough 46 is moved from right to left asviewed fig. 1.

Communicating with the interior of trough 46 at the discharge end of theconveyor is an intake line 48 ofa vacuum pickup apparatus 49, which inturn discharges into a rubbish container 50.

OPERATION When one of the doors is open, as illustrated at 12, themixture of textile fibers, dirt, etc., fall into the trough, the bottomof which is defined by screen 32. The height of flight 24 is adjusted sothat the flight is adjacent but spaced from the screen. This allows theflight to move the material toward the discharge end, as defined byopening 33. At the same time the textile fibers are not damaged by anyshearing action between the flight and the screen. The paddles 27 slowthe movement of the material toward the discharge end, since FIG.paddles serve to pick up portions of the material and throw it behindthe succeeding portion of the flight. Thus, the movement of the materialtowards the discharge end is erratic. Shaft 23 is rotated at a speed ofabout r.p.m.

The brushes 29 contact the screen to keep it clean and to work thematerial on the screen so that it is being constantly turned. This, plusthe negative atmospheric pressure provided below the screen by vacuumapparatus 49, provides a continuous operation to draw the dirt, dust andother foreign material through the screen, with the fibers remaining ontop of the screen. In this respect is should be noted that the spaceabove screen 32 is at substantially atmospheric pressure, or at leastwell above the pressure below the screen, because of the openings 33 and41.

As the clean fibers move to the discharge opening 33 they fall, or arepushed. onto platform 34. Here they are picked up by the airflow goingto blower 38 and delivered to a collection point. The dust, dirt andother debris passing through the screen is moved by flight 44 in theopposite direction to a discharge point where it is picked up by intakeconduit 48 and delivered to rubbish container 50. Any dust, etc.,sufficiently light to be airborne, similarly will be carried out by thevacuum apparatus 49.

lclaim:

1. For use in a textile mill or the like, the combination of a pneumaticdevice for picking up and accumulating waste material including ascomponents textile fibers, dust, dirt and the like which components areintermixed in the course of being accumulated and an apparatus forsalvaging said textile fibers by separating them from the othermaterial, said combination comprising:

said apparatus including:

a frame including a housing,

a trough mounted in the housing to receive said material, said troughhaving a perforate bottom with the general shape ofa longitudinalportion of a cylinder with a longitudinal axis and forming a screen,

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helicalflight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positionedapproximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacentand spaced from said bottom,

power means connected to said shaft to rotate the conveyor in adirection to move material on the screen toward one end of the trough,

a plurality of brushes affixed to said conveyor and having bristleswhich contact said screen and brush the screen as said conveyor isrotated,

means communicating with said housing to apply a fluid pressuredifferential across said screen with the pressure below the screen beingless than the pressure above the screen,

means mounted on the frame and positioned below said bottom to removethe material that passed through the screen,

means on the frame and positioned at said one end of the trough toreceive the fibers moved by the conveyor to said one end, and

means connecting said device and said apparatus to deposit saidintermixed material into said trough.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including bars positioned inthe spaces between the turns of the flight and affixed to the conveyor,said bars having faces adjacent the periphery of the conveyor whichfaces are generally parallel to said axis.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said bars are affixedto said shaft and extend radially therefrom.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of theperforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth andone-fourth of an inch.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said flight hasportions adjacent the periphery thereofdisplaced from the line of theflight and extending parallel to said axis, said brushes being affixedto said portions.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5, and for use with a rubbishcontainer, wherein said means to remove the material comprises secondconveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means beingconnected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sensesuch that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; saidmeans communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having anintake communicating with said housing at said other end of the secondconveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end. and alsoto create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure tothe portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means havinga discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and for use with a rubbishcontainer, wherein said means to remove the material comprises secondconveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means beingconnected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sensesuch that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; saidmeans communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having anintake communicating with said housing at said other end of the secondconveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end, and alsoto create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure tothe portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means havinga discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein each of theperforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth andone-fourth of an inch.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of theperforations in said screen have a size of between one-eighth andone-fourth of an inch.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said flight hasportions adjacent the periphery thereof displaced from the line of theflight and extending parallel to said axis, said brushes being affixedto said portions.

11. An apparatus for salvaging textile fibers by separation frommaterial such as dirt, dust and the like with which said fibers aremixed, said apparatus comprising:

a frame including a housing;

a trough mounted in the housing, said trough having a perforate bottomwith the general shape of a longitudinal portion of a cylinder with alongitudinal axis and forming a screen, each of the perforations in saidscreen having a size of between one-eighth and one-fourth of an inch;

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helicalflight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positionedapproximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacentand spaced form said bottom, bars positioned in the spaces between theturns of the flight and affixed to the conveyor, said bars having facesadjacent the periphery of the conveyor which faces are generallyparallel to said axis, said bars being affixed to said shaft andextending radially therefrom, said flight having portions adjacent theperiphery thereof displaced from the line of the flight and extendingparallel to said axis;

means to deposit said mixture into said trough;

power means connected to said shaft to rotate the conveyor in adirection to move material on the screen toward one end of the trough;

a plurality of brushes affixed to said portions of said flight andhaving bristles which contact said screen and brush one as of thetrough; conveyor is rotated;

means communicating with said housing to apply a fluid pressuredifferential across said screen with the pressure below the screen beingless than the pressure above the screen;

means mounted on the frame and positioned below said bottom to removethe material that passed through the screen; and

means on the frame and positioned at said one end of the trough toreceive the fibers moved by the conveyor to said one end.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, and for use with a rubbishcontainer, wherein said means to remove the material comprises secondconveyor means mounted in said housing, said second conveyor means beingconnected to said power means to operate the second conveyor in a sensesuch that the material is moved from said one end to the other end; saidmeans communicating with said housing comprising vacuum means having anintake communicating with said housing at said other end of the secondconveyor means to pick up the material moved to said other end, and alsoto create said differential by applying a below atmospheric pressure tothe portion of said housing below said bottom, said vacuum means havinga discharge adapted to be connected to said container.

13. An apparatus for salvaging textile fibers by separation frommaterial such as dirt, dust and the like with which said fibers aremixed, said apparatus comprising:

a frame including a housing;

a trough mounted in the housing, said trough having a perforate bottom'with the general shape of a longitudinal portion of a cylinder with alongitudinal axis and forming a screen;

a screw conveyor mounted on the frame having a shaft and a helicalflight, said shaft being journaled in the frame and positionedapproximately along said axis, said flight having a periphery adjacentand spaced from said bottom. said flight having portions adjacent theperiphery thereof displaced from the line ofthe flight and extendingparallel to said axis; 7 v I means to deposit said mixture into saidtrough;

power means connected to said shaft to rotate the conveyor in adirection to move material on the screen toward one end of the trough;

a plurality of brushes affixed to said conveyor and having bristleswhich contact said screen and brush the screen as said conveyor isrotated, said brushes being affixed to said portions of the flight;

means communicating with said housing to apply a fluid pressuredifferential across said screen with the pressure below the screen beingless than the pressure above the screen;

means mounted on the frame and positioned below said bottom to removethe material that passed through the screen; and

means on the frame and positioned at said one end of the trough toreceive the fibers moved by the conveyor to said one end.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 858Dated June 28, 1971 Inve t Lynn M. Christianson It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 60, "FIG." should read -thes e. Column 4, line 52, "oneas of the trough; should read the screen as said-.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of February 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Attesting Officer ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Commissionerof Patents FORM PO-1O50 USCOMM-DC 50376-P69 9 U S GOVERNMENT PRINTINGOFFICE 19.9 O-355'33l

